Читать книгу Start & Run a Copywriting Business - Steve Slaunwhite - Страница 40

I once received a sales letter from a freelance copywriter offering a cassette program on — what else? — becoming a successful freelance copywriter. He described in blissful terms the wonderful life he leads sitting by his swimming pool each day, getting a tan, and writing copy for his blue-chip slate of clients.

Sounds idyllic, but I suspect very few successful self-employed professionals work this way. (I once tried working on my patio and I got too distracted.) Most copywriters I know work standard business hours in well-equipped, comfortable home offices.

As a copywriter, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in front of a computer, so I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to create a pleasant, productive work environment for yourself. If that happens to be by the pool, great. Just make sure it’s quiet, efficient, and comfortable.

When setting up a home office or any work area in your home, make sure it is dedicated to your business. This is especially true if you intend to use your home office as a tax deduction. Most tax jurisdictions will not allow you to write off a home office that doubles for another purpose. Canadian Income Tax Interpretation Bulletins, for example, specifically state that a home office is not deductible if it has a bed in it (so there’s no tax advantage to the popular guest bedroom/den combination).

There are other reasons why you should strive to make your home office as dedicated and private as possible. For example, if your office doubles as the rec room, what if you’re working late and your kids have scheduled a ping-pong game? Or a pajama party? If your desk is in your bedroom, what if your spouse is taking a nap just when you want to get some work done?

Of course, if you already have a room in your home designated as the home office, you have an advantage. If you don’t, and no room in your home is available to be used exclusively as an office, then you’ll have to get a little creative. I know someone who converted an oversized closet into a very comfortable (but admittedly small) office. You might have a similar nook in your home that you can adapt.

Shop around for specialty desks that cater to home office workers with space challenges. I’ve seen several that look like decorative wall units or corner hutches. With a few pulls and tugs these units morph into highly efficient office centers with plenty of desk space and space for a computer and phone. When your work is finished, you simply close them up again. Because of their design and complexity, however, the prices for these units tend to be high.

Of course, you might consider renting office space outside your home. This can be very costly, and I wouldn’t recommend it — at least not until your copywriting business is firmly established and generating a consistent monthly income.

If you decide to rent office space, monitor the classified section of your newspaper. Sometimes leasors of large office suites will sublet one of their private offices to a self-employed professional — often to offset their own costs. In fact, you may know a business owner with a spare office who might be willing to do just that.

The small-business office co-op is another alternative. These are office suites that are home to several small businesses that share common expenses such as meeting rooms, phone lines, Internet servers, and sometimes even a receptionist. In tight markets, they often have waiting lists. Check out the classifieds under “Office/Commercial Space” for co-op office ads.